Well-pumping mechanism.



A. H. HONEY.

WELL PUMPING MEOHANISM.

APPLIoATIoN rum) JULY 27, 1911.

Patented June 4, 1912.

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i WELL-PUMPING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4f,l 1912.

Application led J'uly 27, 1911. Serial 170.640,76).

To all whom it 'may concern: f

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. HONEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Well-Pumping Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device Vfor pumping or flowing oil or other liquids out of a well; and it refers particularly to certain improvements over an application filed by Augustus Ellsworth, Ambrose F. Abbott and Roy C. Abbott for pumping mechanisms on December 15th, 1910, and bearing s. N. 597,436. Y

In the course of extensive experiments with the device as described in the above mentioned application I have found that the device will operate under certain altered conditions, and, thereby, I have found what I deem to be the correct principle of action of the device of the above mentioned application and of this application. In the older form of device a gas accumulating chamber is provided in the' upperpart of the Well casing and around the pipe through which the oil is led to the surface. The accumulated gas in this chamber presses downwardly on the surface ofthe oil which stands in the lower part of the chamber and above the member on the lower end of the oil flowing pipe. Under certain conditions, this device causes the oil to rise through oil flowing pipes in the form of a froth, carrying a large amount of gas. By repeated experiments I have found that it is unnecessary, in some instances at least, to have a gas accumulating chamber above the surface of the oil around the oil flowing pipe. I have found that in some cases the oil will flow upwardly and out of the flowing pipe when there is nopressure whatever on the upper surface of the oil; when the cap on the upper end of the casing is entirely removed. This I have found to be the case in numerous wells in which I have installed the device, these wells sometimes flowing through the oil flowing pipe before the cap was placed on the upper end of the casing; and I have installed a device in at least one well which flows continuously without the provision of any gas accumulating chamber. With this particular well as a basisv I have evolved a new form of pumping mechanism in which the gas accumulating chamber is entirely dispensed with; -and I will explain what I think to be its modey of operation in the following specification.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectionl showing myim- 'proved pumping mechanism in operative .position within a well. Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings 5 designates the casing of a wellin which oil or any other gas bearing liquid 6 stands in its lower portion. I orovide an oil flowing pipe 7 extending longitudinally through the well and having on vvits lower end a cone shaped gas collector 8 which is so formed on its lower edge as to allow passages '9 from the space below the coneto the space above the cone and within the casing. I have adopted this serratedl edge form as allowingpassage of oil vertically past the outer edge of the cone` and within the casing. Any form of cone may be used which allows the passage of liquid around its edge to the space in the casing above the cone. The shape of the conemay' be varied to suit conditions as to amounts and pressures of oil and gas and the 'height to which the oil must be raised. Oil flowy pipe 7 leads upwardly through the casing and to a set of connections 10 and 11 on its upper end which may be made to suit any conditions. I have shown a valvey 11 for controlling the flow of oil, the oil being preferably led to a tank or other storage chamber as is usually the case.

The device having beeninstalled in a well practically as shown, the oil will stand around and above the cone in somewhat the manner illustrated. The depth to which the cone is submerged in the `oil will depend largely on the gravity of the oil, the height to which it must be raised and the amount and pressure of the gas within the oil. The gas normally forces upwardly through the oil and the conical collector 8 will cause most of the gas to pass upwardly into the body of the oil contained within the conical collector and within the oil flow pipe 7. Some gas necessarily will escape through openings 9 to the body of oil standing outside the conical gas collector and will thence pass out to the upper end of the casing but a very large proportion of the gas will pass upwardly within the conical collector and will mingle with the oil in the flowing pipe. This intermingling of oil and gas will immediately and greatly lower the specic gravity of the oil within the How pipe and will cause a rise in levelwithintheA pipe, as the column within the pipe is balanced by the column outside the pipe. If the amount of gas present in the oil is suficient, then the columnof oil and gas within theY pipe may be made so light that the column of oil outside the pipe will balance' a column inside many l-times its own height ;v and the oilY will continue to flow out of theupper end of the flow pipe if the-upper end is not too far above the surface of the oil and if the "surface ofthe oil is maintained stationary fall until its height is suiiicient to balance the mixed column of oil and gas within pipe 7. The `flow from the well will then stop until sufficient oil has accumulated to raise the level to where it will again balance the column within the pipe.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my present device differs radically from the older device hereinbefore referred to, in

that it omits an essential element of the "l" older device, and also omits one of the essential features of operation of the older device. I have shown the upper end of well casing 5 as being entirely open, with the eX- ception of a spacer 12 which holds the flowing pipe 7 in place. This entirely precludes the possibility of `any accumulation of gas pressure inl casing 5 above the gas collector 8 and the consequent use of any gas accumulatingl chamber within the casing. In

the older device, the gas pressure accumulated within the chamber above the surface of the oil exerted a certain pressure downwardly on the oil surface and helped mateo rially in balancing the column of mixed oil and gas within the How pipe; and for thisl reason it seems possible to pump a well with tained in the older device.

Although I have described my invention in connection withoil and oil wells it will be understood that the invention may be applied to any gas bearing liquid. Y

I-Iaving describedV my invention, I claim:

1. In an oilV pumping mechanism for wells, the combination of a casing open at its upper end, an oil and gas flow section in the lowerportionof said casing,lan oil and gas flow pipe leading from the flow section to the upper end of the casing, an oil standing section in the upper portion of the casing around the flow pipe, and a downwardly opening funnel in the lower end of the flow pipe and allowing a passage for oil between yits edges and the casing, the lower end of the downwardly pointing funnel being substantially equal in diameter to the well casing.` Y Y 2. In a device of the character described, the combination of an open top well casing and a iow pipe disposed within said well casing, a connecting device of substantially conical form Athe smaller end of which is connected to said flow pipe and the large end of which is substantially equal in diameter to the well casing; and there being passages formed about the edge of the, larger end of said collecting member to permit the passage of oil thereby. 1

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 15th day of July, 1911.

ALBERT H. HONEY.

Copies-of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Y Washington, D. C. Y 

